Edward Juul Rød-Larsen, the 25-year-old son of two of Norway's most prominent diplomats, was found dead in Oslo on 29 April, just days after Norwegian and French authorities formalised a joint corruption investigation into his parents' links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
His parents, former ambassador Mona Juul, 67, and diplomat Terje Rød-Larsen, 78, were key architects of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians. Both are now under criminal investigation by Økokrim, Norway's economic crime unit, for suspected aggravated corruption tied to their relationship with Epstein.
Mona Juul, Norway’s former ambassador to Jordan who resigned on Sunday after it was revealed she had significant financial links to convicted sex offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and her husband Terje Rød-Larse, were charged Monday with gross corruption as well as aiding… pic.twitter.com/cIzRFqN7Li
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 9, 2026
$10 Million and a Will Signed Two Days Before Epstein's Death
Epstein signed a new last will and testament on 8 August 2019, two days before he was found dead by suicide in a New York federal jail cell. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) released trust documents earlier this year showing that the will designated $10 (£7.35) million to Edward and his twin sister, Emma. That figure is the same amount Epstein allocated to his longtime associate, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The family has maintained through legal counsel that the funds were never received. Edward and Emma, once dubbed the 'Peace Twins' at birth, had not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Epstein's Detailed Interest in a Teenager
Released DOJ files paint a picture of Epstein's direct involvement in the Rød-Larsen children's lives. A 2017 email Epstein sent to himself and assistant Lesley Groff contained detailed biographical notes about Edward as a teenager, including his schools, languages, and his parents' diplomatic postings, according to Newsweek.
In 2018, Edward emailed Epstein directly to thank him for arranging work experience at auction house Christie's in London. Other messages between the two discussed Edward's employment and his applications to New York University, where Epstein offered editing suggestions on admissions essays.
A Probe That Crossed Borders
Økokrim opened its investigation in February after the Epstein files revealed extensive financial and personal contact between the couple and the disgraced financier. Juul was charged with aggravated corruption, while Rød-Larsen was charged with complicity in aggravated corruption. Investigators executed a court-authorised search of an apartment in Oslo's Frogner district.
On 28 April, just one day before Edward's death was reported, Økokrim and French authorities established a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to streamline cooperation. Senior state prosecutor Marianne Bender told AFP the arrangement would eliminate the need for new formal requests each time the two countries needed to share information.
Juul resigned as Norway's ambassador to Jordan in February after acknowledging it had been 'imprecise' to describe her contact with Epstein as minimal. Norway's Foreign Ministry separately launched a review of its funding of the International Peace Institute (IPI), a New York-based think tank formerly led by Rød-Larsen. DOJ documents also alleged Rød-Larsen wrote recommendation letters to help Russian women connected to Epstein secure US visas.
'Drawn Into the Relentless Machinery of the Public'
Family lawyers Thomas Skjelbred and John Christian Elden confirmed Edward's death in a statement to Norwegian outlet VG. They said the young man had been 'drawn involuntarily into the relentless machinery of the public' and called speculation about connections between his death and the investigation 'irresponsible and undignified'.
The Epstein scandal has already claimed careers across Europe. In the UK, former ambassador Peter Mandelson was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Slovakia's Miroslav Lajčák resigned as a security adviser. France opened its own investigations into officials named in the files.
Edward Rød-Larsen's death is a stark reminder that behind every headline in the Epstein fallout, there are families and lives that never asked to be part of this story.
